Accra, 10 November 2023 – African lawmakers gathering for the continent’s first-ever parliamentary meeting on health security today agreed to support actions for stronger health systems to enable countries effectively prevent, prepare and respond to public health threats. 

Jointly convened by World Health Organization (WHO) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the 8–10 November 2023 meeting in Accra, Ghana, aimed to enhance parliamentary awareness of the ongoing negotiations towards the first-ever global Pandemic Accord to strengthen pandemic prevention, as well as amendments to the International Health Regulations in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawmakers voiced support for a common African position on the ongoing negotiations of the key global instruments to govern health security. The meeting also discussed the crucial role of parliamentarians in supporting measures for resilient health systems that provide adequate and quality services, while ensuring effective national response to health emergencies. 

“In these crucial times, our roles as parliamentarians are more important than ever in steering our countries towards health security and resilience,” said Hon Alban Kingsford Suman Bagbin, Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.

Parliamentarians, through their core functions of law-making, budgeting, and oversight, as well as their mandates to represent constituencies, can foster multisectoral action across government, engage in international partnerships, and play a critical role in advancing not only global health security, but also universal health coverage and achieving health under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

“We parliamentarians have a role in promoting health and health equity. We must strive to bridge inequities in access to health care within the populations we serve. Our role in legislation, budget allocation, oversight and ratification of international agreements provides the impetus for us to influence and prioritize health security,” said Hon Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Ghana’s Minister for Health. 

The political declarations and outcomes of the conference will complement two global processes – the Inter-governmental Negotiation Body to establish the Pandemic Accord and the Working Group on the amendments of the legally binding International Health Regulations – in a common agenda to address the gaps witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Parliaments and parliamentarians have a decisive role in ensuring these political declarations on universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness and response are translated into action through various responsibilities, from law-making and oversight to budgetary allocation and citizen representation,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

By bringing together the legislators from across the continent, the Parliamentary High-level Conference aims to strengthen multisectoral coordination for health emergency preparedness to contribute to the vision of a strengthened global health architecture.

“Better preparedness requires legislation and investment across a number of sectors beyond health; strong and resilient health systems; coordination mechanisms at the national level; regional and global information sharing and cooperation,” said Mr Martin Chungong, the IPU Secretary General.

The conference also comes on the back of the WHO African regional health security and emergencies strategy 2023-2030, which was endorsed by the Regional Committee in Lomé, Togo and reaffirmed the importance of effective legislation framework to strengthen preparedness capacities of countries.